Overview of the Church(es) in York

York is one of Britain's most beautiful and historic cities, and its identity is closely linked to the Christian faith.

Roman originsDuring the centuries of the Roman Empire, York was capital of the North, and Christianity was probably first brought to the city by Roman citizens who had decided to follow the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. The Church must have flourished in York, because at theCouncil of Arles in the year 314 there is reference to a participant called "Eborius", that is, the Bishop of York ("Eboracum" being the Latin name for York).

This Council took place a year after the Edict of Milan, a decree by the Emperor Constantine by which Christianity became a legal religion in the Roman Empire. Constantine himself had links with York. According to local tradition, his mother Saint Helena was a princess from a tribe in the York area; though there is no evidence for this, many churches in the York area are named in her honour, as she was a devoted Christian. Was is known for certain is that in July 306 Constantine was in York with his father, the Caesar (co-emperor of Rome), when his father died. Constantine was acclaimed as emperor by the army at York (Eboracum), and he went on to become sole ruler of the Roman Empire in both west and east. In the year 312, Constantine won the Battle of the Milvian Bridge over the Tiber, north of Rome. Chroniclers record that Constantine's conversion to Christianity began at this battle, when he saw a cross in the sky with the word "Through this sign you shall conquer". The event is recalled in a statue of Constantine outside York Minster, in which his sword point has broken, leaving him holding a cross. Constantine is revered in the Orthodox Churches as "Saint Constantine the Great, Equal-to-the-Apostles".

Monastic missionariesAfter the fall of the Roman Empire, Christianity in Britain declined with the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons. However, Christianity was reintroduced through the efforts of missionaries from Rome (such as Saint Augustine of Canterbury) and Ireland (such as Saint Cuthbert). Again, the north of England became a stronghold of Christianity, with the development of important monasteries and cathedrals, led by figures such as Saint Hilda of Whitby, and Saint Aiden of Lindisfarne. York's Viking invaders were, in due course, converted to Christianity by the likes of Saints Paulinus and Wilfrid.